Chris Taylor Bio
Christopher Armand Taylor Jr., known widely by his nickname “CT3,” is an American former professional baseball utility player. Born on August 29, 1990, he built his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) across the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels, playing nearly every position on the diamond during his time in the majors.
After a standout amateur career at the University of Virginia, Taylor was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners and reached the big leagues in 2014. Over the following decade, he became known for his postseason heroics, including winning the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) Most Valuable Player Award, earning an All-Star selection in 2021, and helping the Dodgers capture World Series titles in 2020 and 2024.
Early Life and Background
Taylor grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he attended Great Neck Middle School and was a competitive wrestler. He won a city wrestling championship during his middle school years, an experience that helped him build the athleticism and toughness that would later define his approach to baseball. Wrestling sharpened his balance, leverage, and competitive drive, traits that translated directly to his later versatility in the field.
When he moved on to Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, Taylor stepped away from wrestling in order to focus entirely on baseball. His dedication paid off in 2009, when he was named the All-Tidewater region Player of the Year. That recognition drew the attention of several college programs, including the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary.
Taylor chose to attend the University of Virginia, where he played for the Cavaliers baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). His family had strong ties to college athletics, as his father, Chris Sr., and his grandfather, Armand, had both attended Virginia Tech and competed on the wrestling team there.
Path to Baseball
During his freshman season at Virginia, Taylor saw limited playing time at shortstop because the Cavaliers’ starting job was held by Tyler Cannon, an All-ACC performer. To continue developing his game that summer, Taylor played collegiate summer baseball for the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), gaining valuable experience against high-level competition.
Taylor’s role expanded in his sophomore year. After Stephen Bruno was named the Cavaliers’ starting shortstop and later went down with a hamstring injury, Taylor took over at the position and held the job for the long term. In 2011, he delivered one of the defining moments of his amateur career, hitting a two-out single to drive in the tying and winning runs in the decisive game of the Charlottesville Super Regional against UC Irvine, sending Virginia to the College World Series. He followed that summer by playing in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
Chris Taylor Career
Early Career (2012–2014)
The Seattle Mariners selected Taylor in the fifth round, with the 161st overall pick, of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. He began his professional journey in the rookie-level minors before being quickly promoted to Single-A, where he primarily played shortstop. In 2013, he split time between the High Desert Mavericks of the High-A California League and the Jackson Generals of the Double-A Southern League, finishing the year with a combined .314 batting average, 165 hits, eight home runs, 60 runs batted in (RBI), 108 runs scored, and 38 stolen bases. The Mariners recognized his progress by naming him their minor league player of the year and sending him to the Arizona Fall League.
After a strong 2014 spring training, Taylor opened the season with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). He was named the PCL’s Top Star at the Triple-A All-Star Game. On July 24, 2014, the Mariners promoted him to the major leagues to replace the injured Willie Bloomquist. That same night, Taylor collected his first major-league hit, a single off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Wei-Yin Chen, finishing his first MLB stint with a .287 average in 47 games.
Seattle Mariners and Trade to the Dodgers (2015–2016)
Setbacks marked Taylor’s 2015 season, beginning with a fractured wrist suffered during spring training when he was hit by a pitch. After working his way back at Triple-A Tacoma, where he hit .300 in 86 games, he appeared in limited action for the Mariners and batted .170 with no home runs and one RBI in 94 at-bats. He began 2016 back in the minors before a brief return to Seattle in May.
On June 19, 2016, the Mariners traded Taylor to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Zach Lee, a move that Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto later called “clearly the worst deal I’ve ever made.” Taylor made an immediate impact in Los Angeles, hitting his first major-league home run on July 15, 2016, a grand slam off Silvino Bracho of the Arizona Diamondbacks. That game, which also included a double, a triple, and six RBI, made him the third Dodgers player in history to homer for the first time as a grand slam.
Los Angeles Dodgers Breakthrough (2017–2020)
Taylor began 2017 in the minors but was recalled in April. He produced a breakout regular season, batting .288 with 21 home runs and 72 RBI while playing center field, left field, second base, shortstop, and third base. On July 6, 2017, he delivered his first career walk-off hit, driving in Logan Forsythe to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4. In the postseason, Taylor hit a home run off Chicago Cubs pitcher Héctor Rondón in Game 1 of the NLCS and was named co-MVP of the series alongside Justin Turner. He added a home run on the very first pitch of the 2017 World Series against the Houston Astros.
From 2018 through 2020, Taylor cemented his role as a versatile utility star for the Dodgers. In 2018, he set career highs in games played (155), runs scored (85), doubles (35), triples (8), and walks (55), leading the National League with 178 strikeouts while handling shortstop for most of the year. He was selected to represent MLB in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. In 2020, the COVID-19-shortened season, Taylor served as the Dodgers’ primary second baseman, batting .270/.366/.476 with eight homers and 32 RBI, and helped Los Angeles defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in six games to win the World Series, the franchise’s first championship since 1988.
Dodgers Prime (2021–2024)
Taylor was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game in 2021, a season in which he batted .254/.344/.438 with 20 home runs, 73 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. He punctuated the year with a two-out, two-run, walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card Game, then tied an MLB record on October 21, 2021, by hitting three home runs in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, becoming the first player in history to accomplish that feat in an elimination game. That December, he re-signed with the Dodgers on a four-year, $60 million contract.
Although his 2022 and 2023 production slipped, Taylor continued to deliver memorable moments. On June 15, 2023, he launched his 100th career home run, a grand slam off Reynaldo López of the Chicago White Sox, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit grand slams for both his first and 100th career homers. The 2024 season was his most difficult in years, limited to 87 games by a groin injury, and he hit .202, his lowest average since 2015. Despite the struggles, he contributed to Los Angeles’ run to the World Series, appearing as a late-game defensive replacement and pinch runner against the New York Yankees, and won his second championship ring with the Dodgers.
Los Angeles Angels Era (2025)
Taylor opened 2025 with limited opportunities in Los Angeles, batting .200 in 28 games before the Dodgers released him on May 18. He quickly caught on with the Los Angeles Angels, signing a major league contract on May 26, 2025. Less than two weeks later, on June 9, he suffered a broken left hand after being hit by a pitch from Tyler Ferguson in a game against the Athletics, an injury that interrupted his recovery and his effort to reestablish himself at the plate.
Driving Style and Strengths
Taylor built his reputation on positional versatility, logging time at every spot on the diamond except catcher, first base, and pitcher. Defensively, his athleticism, work ethic, and willingness to prepare made him a reliable option at shortstop, second base, third base, and all three outfield positions. Offensively, he proved most dangerous against right-handed pitching and showed a knack for rising to the moment in October, where his power and postseason poise became trademarks of his career.
Notable Events and Milestones
Taylor’s career is decorated with signature October moments, including his 2017 NLCS co-MVP award, his three-homer game in the 2021 NLCS elimination contest, and walk-off home runs in both the 2017 regular season and the 2021 Wild Card Game. His grand slams in 2016 and 2023 bookended his power surge, while his pair of World Series titles in 2020 and 2024 cemented his place in Dodgers history.
Chris Taylor Career Wins
Across his time in Major League Baseball, Taylor compiled a career batting average of .248 with 110 home runs and 443 RBI, figures that reflect his role as a versatile utility player rather than a traditional everyday star. He never led the league in any major offensive category for a full season, but his postseason résumé and his ability to deliver in high-leverage spots gave him an outsized impact relative to his statistical line.
MLB Highlights
Taylor’s MLB journey began with a debut hit against the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 and quickly grew into a broader story of resilience. His 2017 breakout, in which he hit 21 home runs, earned him an NLCS co-MVP, and set the stage for his first championship in 2020. His first All-Star selection came in 2021, and he added a second World Series ring in 2024 before being released by the Dodgers in May 2025.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of the majors, Taylor was a Cape Cod League veteran with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and won a Triple-A All-Star Game Top Star honor with the Tacoma Rainiers. In the minors, he posted a .314 combined average in 2013, stole 38 bases, and was named Seattle’s minor league player of the year, foreshadowing the all-around skills he would later showcase in the big leagues.
Chris Taylor Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Baseball runs deep in the Taylor family. Taylor’s father, Chris Sr., and his grandfather, Armand, both attended Virginia Tech, where they competed on the school’s wrestling team. That wrestling pedigree helped shape the young infielder’s balance, core strength, and competitive mentality, traits he would later credit as foundational to his baseball career.
Personal Life
Taylor married his wife in December 2022 in Waialua, Hawaii. The couple welcomed their first child in 2023, a development that coincided with the later stages of his Dodgers tenure and his transition into free agency.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked a turning point in Taylor’s career. After a slow start in Los Angeles, where he batted .200 in 28 games, the Dodgers released him on May 18, ending a tenure that dated back to 2016 and produced two World Series championships. He landed quickly with the Los Angeles Angels, signing a major league contract on May 26, and looked to revive his career with a familiar role as a utility player.
His Angels stint was disrupted almost immediately, however, when he suffered a broken left hand after being hit by a pitch from Tyler Ferguson on June 9, 2025. The injury cost him significant playing time and limited him to 30 games with the Angels, where he batted .179 with two home runs and 10 RBI. Across both clubs in 2025, he appeared in 58 games and batted .186 with two home runs and 12 RBI, totals that fell well short of his career averages.
Looking ahead, Taylor re-signed with the Angels on a minor league contract on February 13, 2026, and was released on March 21 when he failed to win a roster spot during spring training. He returned to the organization on a new minor league deal on March 27 and opened the year with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. On May 22, he announced his retirement from professional baseball, only to reverse the decision the following day, before ultimately announcing his retirement for a second time on May 24 as he continued to manage a left forearm fracture.
